The present invention relates to a cable switching device to be used when switching from a first rotatable drum to a second rotatable drum for take-up of a cable or the like.
More precisely, the invention relates to a device for automatically attaching the end of a continuously produced cable to an empty drum for subsequent winding of the cable onto the drum, when a previous drum is full and must be replaced by an empty drum.
Drum switching is usually carried out in such a manner that, after the cable has been cut, the cable end is conducted manually to the empty drum and guided manually from the drum inside through a hole in the drum flange and then is attached to the outside of the drum flange. For electric cables, however, it should be possible to measure the electrical characteristics of the cable, for which reason it is inappropriate to attach the cable end to the circumference of the drum between the drum flanges. If the cable is rigid, it it also relatively easy to pass the cable end through the hole in the drum flange. The cables to which the present invention is specially applicable are relatively thin (.phi. 25 mm and less) and flexible, and therefore it is difficult to pass them through the hole in the flange.
One aspect of conventional drum switching is the need for manpower, which makes this technique susceptible to breakdown and comparatively expensive.
A further aspect of the manual method is the risk of bodily injury caused by the free ends of the cut cable.